Yarn shipping container and divider therefor



April 1958 w. c. SCHLAGER ETAL 3,375,919

YARN SHIPPING CONTAINER AND DIVIDER THEREFOR Filed Aug. 22, l 2 cs-Sheet l mm zx\\\\\\\\\\w KLI/ INVENTORS r C. SCHMGEQ I By- MLL/AM F7 [ff/$ 0593 1 j WPM 1 ,2, rruew April 2, 1968 w. c. SCHLAGER ETAL 3,375,919 YARN SHIPPING CONTAINER AND DIVIDER THEREFOR Fil ed Aug. 22, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS P O C'- 3014/1659 BY Mum v Fla/51100960 United States Patent 3,375,919 YARN SHIPPING CONTAINER AND DIVIDER THEREFOR Wilfred C. Schlager, Chicago, Ill., and William F. Henderson, Winnsboro, S.C., assignors to Uniroyal Inc., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Aug. 22, 1966, Ser. No. 574,167 7 Claims. (Cl. 206-65) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A divider for yarn package shipping cartons, designed especially for use in shipping tube-type packages of textured synthetic filament yarn. Each divider has a plurality of substantially conical projections each surrounded by an annular channel which in turn is surrounded by an annular ridge of less height than the projection. Two dividers in facing arrangement are used for each tier of yarn packages, each two aligned projections entering the opposite ends of a respective yarn-carrying cylinder.

This invention relates to the art of crating and shipping synthetic filament yarn packages.

Synthetic filament yarn packages generally comprise one of three basic types of carriers for the yarn, which are known in the textile industry by the names spool, cone and tube. In the cases of both the spool and tube carriers, the yarn is wound onto a cylindrical barrel, but by way of distinction a spool in addition has a pair of annular flanges aflixed to the ends of the barrel. It will be readily understood that inasmuch as a reduction of the cost of shipping yarn packages is attainable only by reducing both the weight of each package and the space occupied thereby, the use of the flangeless cones and tubes is ordinarily preferred. Untextured yarn is generally wound on cones in such a manner as to provide a firmly wound, dense, conical package and, despite its relatively smooth, slick finish, will not readily shell off the base of the cone in handling. Textured yarn, however, is generally wound on tubes to form a cylindrical package, since it is provided with extensible deformations such as crimps, curls, loops, and the like, and thus cannot be wound as firmly if a straightening out of such deformations is to be avoided.

In shipping yarns, of course, it is essential that the various packages in each box or carton be kept immobilized and also separated from each and the container walls, to ensure that impact and rubbing contacts are avoided which would have the result of either damaging the yarn or causing it to slip off the carrier and thus distort the winding pattern or become snarled, rendering it unfit for use by the customer. To this end, partitions or dividers for use in untextured yarn package shipping containers have been developed for effecting a spaced and immobile arrangement of the various tiers of cone-shaped yarn packages within the container during shipment. Representative constructions of this type are shown in US. Patents Nos. 2,063,319 and 2,704,600.

It is now an object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved shipping container arrangement for tube-type cylindrical packages of textured synthetic filament yarn.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel container divider structure which is uniquely adapted for use with tube-type packages of textured yarn.

The foregoing and other objects, as well as the characteristics and advantages, of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed projections 15 (fifteen in the illustrated description thereof when read in conjuction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a vertical section through a shipping container enclosing a plurality of tiers of tube-type yarn packages spaced and immobilized in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective illustration of a yarn package shipping container divider according to the present invention, showing a number of tube-type packages of yarn seated thereon;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of such a divider without any yarn packages thereon; and

FIGS. 4 and 5 are sectional views taken, respectively, along the lines 44 and 5-5 in FIG. 3.

Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, for purposes of illustration there is shown in FIG. 1 a cardboard carton or like shipping container 10 enclosing a plurality of tube-type packages 11 of textured yarn, each such package comprising a cylindrical barrel or tube 12, made of stiffened paper or paperboard or of synthetic plastic material, on which the yarn is wound, and each tube, if desired, being wrapped or otherwise covered with a suitable inert material such as parchment to minimize the possibility of contamination of the yarn. The yarn packages 11 are shown as being arranged in two tiers, with each tier including fifteen packages spaced from and parallel to each other (see also FIG. 2), but it will be understood that there may be only one tier or more than two, since the precise number of packages in each such container constitutes no part of the present invention and will generally be determined by the shipper and/ or in accordance with the customs of the trade.

The various yarn packages 11 are kept separated from each other and immobilized within the container 10 by means of four dividers 13, one facing upwardly below the bottom tier, two in back to back relation between the tiers, and one facing downwardly above the upper tier. Each of the dividers 13 according to the present invention comprises a molded sheet 14 of a tough synthetic plastic resin which is chemically inert to the yarn, e.g., polyvinyl chloride, acrylontrile-butadienestyrene (ABS) resin, and the like. Uniformly distributed over the entire expanse of the sheet 14 is a plurality of frusto-conical embodiment, arranged in three rows of five each), said projections being surrounded by respective relatively lower, annular, fiattopped ridges 16 the inner edge of each of which is spaced from the respective conical projection by an annular channel 17. The various annular ridges 16 in each row and file are interconnected by relatively short somewhat lower ribs 18 the principal purpose of which is to enhance the stiffness of the divider.

In packing tubes of textured synthetic filament yarn for shipment in accordance with the present invention, a first divider "13 is placed into the bottom of the shipping container 10 (FIG. 1) with its frusto-conical projections 15 extending upwardly. The appropriate number of yarn packages 11 to constitute the lower tier of the shipment are then positioned endwise on the said divider, with the lower end of each cylindrical barrel or carrier tube 12 seated in a respective one of the channels 17 in surrounding relation to the base of the associated projection 15. A second divider 13- is now placed in inverted position onto the lower tier of yarn packages, with its projections 15 facing downwardly and being received within the upper end regions of the respective carrier tubes, so that the weight of the divider is taken up by the tubes 12. A third divider 13 is then placed onto the second divider in back to back relation thereto and facing upwardly, whereupon a second tier of yarn packages 11 is placed thereon in the same manner as on the bottom divider. At the top of the container, a fourth divider 13 is finally placed in inverted relation .onto the upper tier of yarn packages.

When the container is then closed and made ready for shipment, it will be apparent (see FIG. 1) that the various yam packages are not only isolated from each other, but are also immobilized against both lateral and endwise movements regardless of the orientation or manner of handling of the container 10. In fact, the arrangement is such that the desired relationships are maintained even when the container is completely inverted.

It should be noted that when each textured yarn package 11 is produced, the yarn is wound into the shape of a cylinder such that when the respective tube 12 is confined between two dividers 13, the ends of the cylinder .of yarn are spaced somewhat from the facing surfaces of the associated opposed pair of ridges 16, say by about A; to inch. This is the condition illustrated in FIG. 1, which ensures that even when the container is fully loaded and has other such containers stacked on top of it, the yarn does not carry any of the weight, the entire load being taken up by the tubes. The reason for this arrangement is that when textured synthetic filament yarn is wound into the form of the packages to be shipped, which generally takes place as an immediate adjunct to the yarn spinning and texturizing operations, there is usually a considerable amount of moisture still contained in the yarn. Thus, the yarn dries at least in part after it is packed into the containers for shipment.

By virtue of the aforesaid clearance between each pair of opposed ridges 16 of the dividers -13, therefore, the yarn can slip somewhat along the tubes while in transit without incurring damage. Ultimately, the outer circumferential region of each yarn cylinder will reach the lower one of the associated pair of opposed ridges 16 and come to rest thereagainst, being then supported thereby so as to inhibit further slippage. If the container 10 is subsequently turned upside down, the only thing that can happen is that the yarn will slip along the tubes until it comes into contact with the previously uppermost ones of the annular ridges. At no time, however, will the yarn have to sustain any part of the load, and thus it will not incur any abrasion or suffer any distortion of the winding pattern. Moreover, the provision of the continuous ridges 16 assures that there will be no differential surface variations apparent in the yarn, such as would result in a textured yarn and render it unfit for high quality products, were the yarn to be permitted to come to rest against a divided or sectional supporting surface, for example of the type proposed in the aforesaid US. Patent No. 2,704,600.

Yet another advantage accruing from the present invention is the fact that the dividers 13, being made of tough molded plastic material, can be used over and over again for considerable periods of time without requiring replacement, thereby achieving substantial economies, whereas prior art dividers have generally been made of papier mache or paper pulp which, though economical materials, do not readily lend themselves for reuse.

It is to be understood that the foregoing description of the present invention is for purposes of illustration only, and that the structural features and relationships disclosed herein are susceptible to a number of changes and modifications none of which entails a departure from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the hereto appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A shipping arrangement for textured yarn, comprising a container, a first divider located in the bottom of said container and composed of a molded sheet of synthetic plastic material provided at its upper surface with a plurality of substantially conical projections each surrounded by a relatively lower, fiat-topped, annular ridge and an intermediate annular channel, a plurality of yarn packages located in said container and each composed of textured yarn wound in a cylindrical configuration of predetermined axial length on a cylindrical, open ended tube of axial length greater than that of said yarn configuration, each of said tubes extending perpendicularly to said first divider and having one end received in and resting on the bottom of a respective one of said channels and closely surrounding the base of the associated conical projection, and a second divider identical with said first divider located in inverted condition in said container, said conical projections of said second divider being received in the other ends of the respective tubes which at the same time are received in and engage the bottoms of the associated annular channels, the height of said ridges on each of said dividers being such that the perpendicular distance between the facing surfaces of each opposed pair of ridges is somewhat greater than the axial length of the cylindrical yarn configuration located therebetween, whereby said yarn packages are kept in parallel, non-contacting relation and immobilized relative to one another and the container walls by said dividers irrespective of the orientation of said container and without any external load being borne by said yarn.

2. A shipping arrangement according to claim 1, each of said dividers being further provided at said upper surface thereof with a plurality of ribs each interconnecting two adjacent ones of said annular ridges and being of less height than the latter.

3. A shipping arrangement for textured yarn, comprising a container, a first divider non-movably located in the bottom of said container and composed of a molded sheet of synthetic plastic material, said first divider being provided at its upper surface with a plurality of substantially conical projections each surrounded by a relatively lower, flat-topped, annular ridge and an intermediate annular channel, a plurality of yarn packages located in a single tier in said container on said first divider and each composed of textured yarn wound in a cylindrical configuration of predetermined axial length on a cylindrical, open-ended tube of axial length greater than that of said yarn configuration, each of said tubes extending perpendicularly to said first divider and having one end received in and resting on the bottom of a respective one of said channels and closely surrounding the base of the associated conical projection, and a second divider identical with said first divider non-movably located in inverted condition atop said yarn packages in said container, said conical projections of said second divider being received in the other ends of the respective tubes which at the same time are received in and engage the bottoms of the associated annular channels, the height of said annular ridges on each of said dividers being such that the perpendicular distance between the facing surfaces of each opposed pair of ridges is somewhat greater than the axial length of the cylindrical yarn configuration located therebetween, whereby said yarn packages are kept in parallel, non-contacting relation and immobilized relative to one another and the container walls by said dividers irrespective of the orientation of said container and without any external load being borne by said yarn.

4. A shipping arrangement according to claim 3, further comprising a plurality of additional yarn packages arranged in a second tier in said container and confined between a pair of opposed third and fourth dividers identical with said first and second dividers, said third divider lying in back-to-back relation to said second divider.

5. A shipping arrangement for textured yarn, comprising a container, a plurality of sets of yarn packages located in a plurality of tiers in said container, each of said yarn packages being composed of textured yarn wound in a cylindrical configuration of predetermined axial length on a cylindrical, open-ended tube of axial length greater than that of said yarn configuration, each of said sets of yarn packages being confined between a pair of upper and lower dividers located in said container, each of said dividers being composed of a molded sheet of synthetic plastic material and being identically provided at one surface with a plurality of substantially conical projections each surrounded by a relatively lower, flat-topped, annular ridge and an intermediate annular channel, each of said tubes of each set extending perpendicularly to said dividers and having one end received in and resting on the bottom of a respective one of said channels of the associated lower divider and closely surrounding the base of the associated conical projection, and said conical projections of the associated upper divider being received in the other ends of the respective tubes which at the same time are received in and engage the bottoms of the associated annular channels, the height of said ridges on each of said dividers being such that the perpendicular distance between the facing surfaces of each opposed pair of ridges is somewhat greater than the axial length of the cylindrical yarn configuration located therebetween, said lower divider of the bottom tier of yarn packages resting on the bottom of said container, and said lower divider of each additional tier of yarn packages resting in back-to-back relation on the upper divider of the next lower tier of yarn packages, whereby said yarn packages are kept in parallel, non-contacting relation and immobilized relative to one another and the container walls by said dividers irrespective of the orientation of said container and without any external load being borne by said yarn.

6. A shipping arrangement according to claim 5, each of said dividers being further provided at said one surface thereof with a plurality of ribs each interconnecting two adjacent ones of said annular ridges and being of less height than the latter.

7. A shipping container divider for use in shipping packages of textured yarn wound on open-ended cylindrical tubes, comprising a molded sheet of synthetic plastic material provided at one surface thereof with a plurality of substantially conical projections each surrounded by a relatively lower, flat-topped, annular ridge and an intermediate annular channel, each of said channels being adapted to receive, and have its bottom engaged by, one end of a respective tube when the latter is disposed in surrounding relation to the associated conical projection, and said sheet being further provided at said one surface thereof with a plurality of ribs each interconnecting two adjacent ones of said annular ridges and being of less height than the latter.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 827,124 7/1906 Speer 220-72 2,704,600 3/1955 Despres 206 3,265,280 8/1966 Butzko 2292.5

WILLIAM T. DIXSON, JR., Primary Examiner. 

